MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan has raised concerns over the plan foreshadowed by the NSW Labor Government that will reform NSW’s approach to managing native vegetation on privately owned land.
Mr Moylan maintains that the current laws in NSW are sufficient and do not need to be changed.
He said that the Minns Labor Government has recently released its response to the statutory reviews of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the native vegetation provisions of the Local Land Services Act 2013.
“The response signals a shift in the way the State fulfills its responsibilities to protect the environment and manage native vegetation across the State, now and into the future,” Mr Moylan said.
“The previous Coalition Government reformed the State’s native vegetation laws in 2016 by ensuring that the environment was protected and at the same time allowing farmers to properly manage vegetation on their own land.
“Under the existing laws, any significant change to native vegetation on a farm needed the involvement and ultimately the agreement of the Local Land Services (LLS).”
Mr Moylan said it was not a ‘free for all’ as has been suggested by the State Government, rather the existing laws protect the environment and provide farmers with certainty and increased flexibility to properly manage their holdings.
“Farmers are working with the LLS to achieve targeted and nuanced outcomes that benefit both the environment and the individual farmers production, there is no need for these laws to be changed,” he said.
“When it comes to native vegetation laws in NSW, the farming community gets kicked around like a political football, each side of politics kicks it whenever they form Government, and this must stop.
“The existing land use codes and laws are resulting in proper environmental outcomes and are allowing farmers to get on with the job of feeding and clothing us, we do not need to have this fight all over again.
“I urge the Government to stop meddling in the lives of farmers and leave these laws alone.”
MEDIA: Electorate Office 6772 5552